Mark Pope says Malachi Moreno will flash moments showing 'he should be in the NBA right now.'

It remains unclear what Malachi Moreno‘s role as a freshman will look like in 2025-26, but he certainly feels like he’s going to have the opportunity to showcase his talents from day one.

During his Monday press conference with local media, Kentucky head coach Mark Pope gave the Big Blue Nation reason to believe Moreno can make an impact right away. Clocking in at 6-foot-11, 230 pounds, the former top 30 high school recruit has rapidly improved his game in just the last couple of months, starting with USA Basketball training camp and continuing into summer practice with the Wildcats.

While it might not always be pretty with Moreno, there will be flashes of brilliance along the way.

“This Malachi Moreno is gonna be fun,” Pope said. “We’re gonna have a lot of fun with him. He’s so young and he’s so capable. From him, we’re gonna see moments where it’s like he should be in the NBA right now, and we’re gonna see moments where we feel like, I’m not sure Malachi knows exactly what he’s doing. And we’re going to see both of those, and that’s what growth is.”

It’s been a good day for Kentucky’s Malachi Moreno at USA U19 Training Camp pic.twitter.com/XL9N1FoDzr

— Jack Pilgrim (@JackPilgrimKSR) June 15, 2025

The expectation is Moreno will begin his rookie season as a backup big man. However, he could see some early-season minutes due to Jayden Quaintance‘s recovery from an ACL injury. There is no exact timeline for Quaintance’s return to play, and although he has said in the past he hopes to be ready for the beginning of the season, it’s reasonable to expect him to miss a few games at the very least. The young and talented big man, who just turned 18, is still only a little over four months removed from surgery.

With Quaintance on the mend, Kentucky’s frontcourt will feature Moreno, Brandon Garrison, Mo Dioubate, Reece Potter, and eventually Andrija Jelavić, who is still in the process of making his way to campus. Garrison and Dioubate will soak up a good chunk of those minutes. You also have guys such as Trent Noah, Kam Williams, and Braydon Hawthorne, who could all slide in as small-ball forwards if needed. That makes for a deep rotation with varying skillsets.

But Moreno has traits Pope is looking for in a big man that could translate to the college game sooner rather than later.

“He defended well, showed he could slide his feet, didn’t shy away from contact, and he finished plays at the basket,” Rivals’ Jamie Shaw said of Moreno’s performance last month at USA Basketball training camp. “He will need to continue adding core strength, working through a hitch at the top of his jump shot, but his added strength and his ability to play big, and with a purpose, was impactful.”

Moreno was ranked as the nation’s top overall center in the 2025 recruiting class for good reason. You can’t teach size, and he has plenty of it. Learning how to consistently use it as an advantage is the next step in his development. Moreno is also a talented passer for someone of his stature, which fits perfectly into Pope’s offensive scheme of running actions through his bigs.

It might not all come together right away for Moreno, but it should be an exciting ride in the meantime.

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